Since 1984, wildland fires have burned an average of 850 homes each year in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association, but because more people are moving to areas in or near fire-prone wildlands, the number of homes at risk is likely to grow. Such areas, where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with wildlands, are commonly referred to as the wildland-urban interface.

Since 1984, wildland fires have burned an average of 850 homes each year in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association, but because more people are moving to areas in or near fire-prone wildlands, the number of homes at risk is likely to grow. Such areas, where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with wildlands, are commonly referred to as the wildland-urban interface.